Sparks
by NotasBrain
Summary: Lexa is content with her small group of friends and her closed-off heart. Clarke is in the process of figuring herself and those around her out. Life brings them together one summer night and sparks fly. Will they burn bright or turn to ashes?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Lincoln, I swear, you need to stop trying to bring new blood into the group. We are enough, we've known each other forever, it's nice and comfortable..."

"It's boring." interrupted the tall man. "No offence." His muscles glistened with sweat under the early morning sun while he run shirtless beside Lexa. She was wearing her favourite running shorts and a black, fitted top. Her long, brown hair was up in a braided ponytail.

"Some taken." replied the girl and punched him playfully on the shoulder.

"It's different this time."

"Different how?"

"I met someone." he simply stated and kept his pace, making sure to avoid Lexa's eyes. She kept running beside him quietly until they reached the spot, right before the hill, where they usually stopped for a little break. This was a big deal but she knew that Lincoln would hate it if she treated it as such.

"Care to elaborate?"she looked at him after they both took at few minutes to catch their breath and stretch.

"Her name is Octavia. She's joining us for the bonfire tonight. She's bringing friends."

Lexa knew too well that when Lincoln felt uncomfortable he would start talking like he was giving an accident report. She also knew that trying to get more out of him at this point would only lead him to shut off. So she decided not to push it.

Unlike her, he was quite a sociable guy who loved meeting new people and hearing their stories and experiences. He would, as a result, frequently bring along random strangers to hang out with them, much to the dismay of Lexa and the others in their close-knitted group. But it had been over a year now since he had shown interest for a girl in that way. It was good, Lexa thought. It was progress.

"I'm still not happy about our bonfire being overcrowded." she said and shot him a look before they started running again.

"I know." he replied and smiled to himself.

The two of them had known each other since they were kids and both being only children they had found a sibling in the other. They loved and respected each other and despite their vast differences they had a deep understanding of the other's needs. Not only did they know what to say and when but most importantly they knew when to say nothing at all. And Lincoln was grateful for that. He was grateful for all those times the past year that Lexa did not ask him if he was "okay", the times she did not offer empty words of sympathy or looked at him with pity and for the way she stuck by him, even and especially when it was not easy, until he was ready to come out the other side.

"One of Octavia's friends is bringing a guitar. Maybe you can grace us with a song tonight!?" he prompted while they were approaching the turn to Lexa's house on their way back.

"Don't push it!" she replied and took the turn. She did not change her pace but her shoulders relaxed a bit and a smirk formed on her lips. She was glad to hear Lincoln crack a joke after having been so quiet since he told her about this Octavia.

"A boy can dream. See you later." Lincoln said loudly, going his own way.

"See ya."

Lexa slowed down a bit when she reached her house but she decided to keep running. She headed for the forest that stretched behind the church. She loved the woods; the sounds, the smells, the isolation. She was so small compared to the tall trees, so insignificant. It comforted her to witness life go on in spite of her or whatever she was going through. The seasons kept on changing, the river kept on flowing. She remembered what her father used to say when they would walk these very paths together years back; "Nature always finds a way." she whispered.

Memories of her parents would come and go. She was very small when they were killed. She stopped by a big oak tree and took a few deep breaths. The sun was high in the sky now and even though the trees shaded the path, it was still the middle of the summer and it was not wise to run if it was after 11am. Unless you went looking for a heatstroke. Lexa started walking back, picking up some small sticks along the way to help get the fire started later that night. She would never admit it out loud but she was actually curious to meet this mysterious girl that had managed to get Lincoln's attention.

By the time she got home she was carrying so many sticks and thin branches she could barely see in front of her. She put them down next to the porch and exhaled sharply. She opened the door and her cat greeted her with a loud meow and circled her feet a couple of times before running to his food bowl.

"Hungry, Salem?"

"Don't believe a word that cat says. I have fed him already." she heard her grandmother's voice from the kitchen.

"Hello, nana" Lexa walked over and gave the old woman a kiss on the cheek. She was above the stove, cooking up something that smelled absolutely delicious, as usual. Lexa had always been in awe of how graceful her grandma was in the kitchen. They would spend hours in this room together when she was younger. She would do her homework while her grandma cooked. Sometimes they would sing songs together or her grandma would tell her stories about her parents. Lexa loved those stories. It was the only way she could feel close to them and get a grasp of who they were as people. And how similar she was to her father, as her granny would often point out.

"Go wash up." the woman ordered after taking a quick look at the girl. Her toned arms were sweaty and dirty with soil and leaves.

"Yes, ma'am!" Lexa saluted very matter-of-factly, causing the other woman to let out a chuckle before getting back to her cooking.

In the shower, Lexa let her mind drift off while the hot water run over her sore muscles. As it was often the case, she found herself thinking of Costia. She had not talked to the girl in years. She would ask their mutual friends about her from time to time but she never got much more than "she is fine". She tried to push all thoughts of the girl out of her mind. Thinking about the whole situation only made her sad and angry. Mostly angry. Costia came from a conservative family and the second her parents found out about them dating, they but cut her head off. A gay kid would mess with their image and thus their pull in the high society. With Costia's father trying to break into politics, they just couldn't let something like that happen. Within days, they had pulled Costia out of their school and moved away with her.

Lexa got out of the shower and pulled a picture of her and Costia out of her nightstand drawer. Costia was sitting on a chair and Lexa was on her lap, holding a flower that the other girl had given her earlier that day. She focused on her own face for a moment. She looked so content, so happy. She missed who she was back then. She put the picture back after taking one last, sad look at Costia. Her phone beeped with a text from Lincoln.

"Pick you up at 8pm." it read. She suddenly did not feel up to anything, especially if it involved people she didn't even know. But she knew Lincoln was looking forward to this night, and she knew how much he needed it as well. She wasn't going to screw it up for him.

"See you then." she texted back and got dressed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Clarke had just gotten out of the shower when she heard her phone ring. She looked at the screen and let out a little sigh when she saw Octavia's number. The younger girl had been calling her non-stop for the past few days, gushing over a new guy she had met. Clarke imagined the call would last a minimum of 40 minutes, and her curly, blonde hair would frizz out if she did not deal with them before they dried.

"What now, O.?" she answered the phone regardless.

"You are gonna love me, that's what!" said the girl gingerly.

"I already do." smiled Clarke. Octavia was a bit much when excited but Clarke loved seeing her so happy. "What's up?" she asked, sitting down on her bed, preparing herself for a long reply.

"We are going to a bonfire tonight!" Octavia almost squealed over the phone.

"We what now?"

"Lincoln is having a bonfire with his friends tonight and we are going. It's going to be so romantic! I can't wait to..."

"I don't know Octavia." interrupted Clarke.

"What do you mean? You love that kinda stuff. Aren't you the one who always complains that we never do bonfires every single time we walk by the beach and see other people's?"

"Yes, but I'm also the one who doesn't like crashing other people's fun."

"We were invited, Clarke."

"YOU were invited."

"He said to bring my friends too."

"He was being nice..."

"Clarke, stop! What is it with you and fun?" sighed Octavia. "You don't need to overanalyze everything. We are going and it is going to be great. I've already told Raven and Monty and they're game. I thought you might like to invite, oh I don't know, Finn maybe?"

"Are you still trying to make that happen?" Clarke rolled her eyes. "Finn and I don't work like that. We've tried. We are better off as friends."

"Okay, okay, fine! Maybe you'll meet someone there tonight, who knows?"

"I think they hardly even want us there..."

"I'm hanging up now. I'll text you the details. You're bringing your guitar." Octavia yelled and hung up before Clarke had time to protest the idea.

Octavia had been in foster care most of her life and more often than not she hadn't gotten it very easy. She had recently turned 19 and with a little help from Clarke's family she was slowly starting to build a better life for herself. She was a fighter if Clarke had ever seen one, but knowing where she came from, Clarke could easily see the pain she was fostering inside and it was difficult to say no to her. She looked at her guitar. Maybe it was not a bad idea to bring it with after all. Clarke loved to play and if it was awkward around Lincoln's friends, she would at least have something to distract herself with. Besides, "Music makes everything better." as her dad often said while teaching her the chords. He would have liked Octavia; the two of them were cut from the same cloth, Clarke thought to herself. She looked at her clock and shot off the bed. It was almost time to babysit her baby brother while her mum and step-dad headed to a last minute city council meeting. She got dressed quickly and stared at her frizzy hair in the mirror. With a swift motion she put half of them up in a messy bun and right on cue, her mum called up to her and she headed downstairs.

Jacob was in his dad's arms, sucking on his thumb. When Clarke stepped closer to them, he smiled up to her and stretched his little arms out for her to pick him up.

"Thanks again, Clarke." said Kane while handing her the baby. "I hope you did not have any plans this morning."

"Don't worry about it. It's my pleasure. I love the little dude."

Clarke really did enjoy spending time with her little brother. He was such a good baby too, never gave her any grief. He loved to sleep a lot as well, which meant she could take a few moments to focus on her art. She liked to draw silly animals and monsters that she would make up stories about and tell Jacob when he would wake up. The characters that he seemed most fascinated by, she would colour in and hang around his room.

She was fixing up some snacks for the both of them, humming a melody she came up with mimicking Jacob's bubbling noises when she heard a knock on the door.

"Orion full on made out with me out there." Raven said, wiping her mouth with her top. "When will he accept that I am not into guys?"

"He is a dog, Raven. And you love him." Clarke laughed, heading back to the kitchen after letting her friend in.

"Just about the only male i'd ever let tongue kiss me!"

"You're forgetting Finn."

"I'll fucking kill you."

"I'm kidding."

"I was young, naive, drunk. What with that long hair, I probably thought he..."

"...he was a girl." Clarke finished her sentence. "I know, I know. I was just joking, Rav."

"I don't appreciate the joke." frowned the girl. She had her brown hair up in a ponytail and her work clothes were stained with grease and car oils.

"I thought having kissed the same person automatically gave me teasing rights." said Clarke and put the plate with the sandwich she had made for herself in front of Raven.

"Your sister thinks she can buy me with food." Raven looked at Jacob. He was sitting on his high chair, munching on some fruit Clarke had cut up for him earlier, not paying any attention. "And she's right." she continued, taking a big bite out of the tuna mayo sandwich. Unlike the guys that worked with her at the auto body shop, she did not have anyone to pack her a lunch. So during her break she would usually go into a café nearby to eat, or Clarke would bring her a portion of whatever they had had for lunch that day.

"You going to this thing tonight?" Raven asked in between bites.

"I don't think Octavia left me much of a choice. Apparently, I'm performing a few songs too." Clarke sat opposite the girl with a new sandwich.

"Of course you are." Raven said with a chuckle, almost choking on a piece of bread. "Not that I am complaining though."

"You don't even like the kind of songs I sing."

"Shut up! It's highly entertaining to watch everyone's jaw drop when you open your mouth."

"Fair enough."

"I'm going for the hot chicks anyway."

"I think you might be setting yourself up for disappointment."

"You did not just question my flirting abilities." Raven raised an eyebrow.

"Not even a little bit." Clarke replied, her cheeks turning a little red suddenly. She had met Raven at an LGBTQ party years ago. It was Clarke's first such event. She had gone alone and had spent most of the night being too self-aware to have any kind of fun. She vividly remembered seeing Raven for the first time. She was very hard to miss. Not only was she stunning but she exuded such confidence and charm that she had heads turning everywhere. She had been wearing skinny jeans and a sleeveless top, perfectly accentuating her athletic figure. By the way she was working the room, Clarke had immediately picked up the player vibe off of her, but when Raven approached her it was not hard to see why all the girls fell for it. And that was just about the last thing Clarke remembered from that night before blacking out from all the 'liquid courage' she had been consuming. She had woken up the next morning, on Raven's couch with a wet cloth on her forehead and a full tray of breakfast food, plus two aspirin tablets on the table next to her. Raven had left her a note saying she had to go to work but to feel free to use the shower or whatever else she needed. Clarke went to thank her the next day with a plate of homemade brownies and, since the way to Raven's heart had always been through her stomach, they became fast friends.

"Damn right!" Raven said and carried her plate to the sink. She took a quick look at her watch and let out a sigh. "See you tonight, then."

"Yea, see you tonight." said Clarke softly while wiping the fruit juices off Jacob's hands, chin and chair.

"Thank you for lunch." Raven said and gave Clarke's shoulder a rub and the girl smiled up to her. Before heading for the door she patted Jacob's head. "Bye, J-man." she said and the baby waved goodbye.

Clarke put her brother down for a nap with a little song and took out her drawing pad. Absent mindedly she sketched a bonfire low on the paper, the smoke rising up to form two human figures intertwined. She looked at it and shook her head. Octavia and Raven had gotten into her head about the romantic nature of a beach fire. The idea of love was one she had started to give up on for herself. She was 21 and had never once even gotten close to falling in love. She drew a dinosaur holding a towel to dry over the fire to cover the smoke figures. Jacob liked dinosaurs she thought and smiled to herself.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Lexa and her grandma were sitting on the porch when they saw Lincoln's car approaching.

"You know, I remember a time when Lincoln was about as tall as my knee." said Freya. "Now he could probably lift me over his head and throw me a hundred yards."

"He definitely could." laughed Lexa. "But he wouldn't. You know him, he wouldn't hurt a fly."

"We can all only hope." sighed the woman while watching Lincoln pick up some big chunks of fire wood from their shed like they were pieces of cardboard.

"Hi, nan!" Lincoln smiled when he was finished loading the car and headed to the porch. He walked over to Freya and gave her a hug.

"Don't squeeze too hard now, I bet you you can literally break me." the woman hugged him back.

"Grandma is forever amazed by how strong you are." Lexa teased.

"I remember when you were so small, you could barely climb up the porch steps without help!"

"Until Lexa showed me the handrail trick."

"Yes. And then we couldn't keep you off." laughed Freya, reminiscing. Lincoln smiled sweetly at the older woman, his eyes sparkling with affection. Freya held his hand and patted it a couple of times.

"Strong muscles, gentle heart." she said.

"Alright you two." Lexa said softly. "Off we go now, nana. Don't wait up."

"I never do. I need my beauty sleep anyway." she mused, to which Lincoln chuckled loudly. "Have fun, kids." she waved and went inside.

It was unusually chilly at the beach that night but Lexa still took off the long sleeved shirt her grandma had made her wear, before starting to dig a hole for their fire.

"Put that back on." Lincoln warned but broke into laughter after Lexa shot him an almost murderous look.

"So, I'm guessing I will be solely responsible for keeping this fire going, tonight?!" Lexa said almost under her breath. Her mood had not really changed much since that afternoon and she was getting increasingly annoyed at the fact that she would have to deal with new people tonight. Lincoln on the other hand was in a marvelous mood. Lexa's remark did not even scrape him.

"You always end up solely responsible anyway!" he simply said and gave Lexa a squeeze while setting up some towels around the hole as sitting space. "Because you love it."

"Yea. More like, you fools just mess the whole thing up if I let you touch it." complained Lexa, but she smiled a bit to herself. She did love it. She had distant memories of her parents having so many friends over, that some of them had to camp at their back yard because there wasn't enough space in the house. They would frequently have big bonfires, either at the beach or at their fire pit at home. Lexa would stick by Indra, a family friend who was always responsible for the fire, for the entire time.

"She needs patience and breathing space." Indra used to say.

"Why is the fire a girl?" Lexa had asked one time.

"You'll understand when you grow up, Lex." Indra had patted her head.

Soon after her parents died, Indra disappeared too. As did most of her parents' friends except Gustus. When Lexa asked Freya about her, she had said that Indra was ill. The next sentence her grandma said had haunted Lexa and she never asked again.

"Her fire is going out, kid." the words rang through Lexa's mind.

"You know how to work a lighter, yea?" Lincoln's voice brought her back from her thoughts. She had stacked the wood: pine needles at the base, thin sticks after that and bigger branches on top. She must have been staring at it, holding the lighter for a minute of two before Lincoln talked.

"I mean, I could probably find a couple of stones for you to bang together, or however that works." he kept on joking.

"Very funny." Lexa smiled. "And you need a certain kind of stone for it to work, idiot!"

"Aaaand she's back!" Lincoln announced and clapped a couple of times. "Now, can we make this fire EXTRA special? Octavia has not been to one, ever... So, you know..."

"What do you want me to do, Linc? Throw a magical powder in there that will make the flames heart-shaped or something?"

"Fire always special, got it!" he said in a funny accent and danced around a little bit. He was so excited and he could not contain it like he usually would. Lexa softened around the edges a bit. She had not seen him this happy in a long while. It was nice. She reached into her backpack and grabbed three little packets of something.

"Actually, as usual, I am one step ahead of you." she smiled and carefully threw the packets in the still unlit bonfire.

"What in the world is that?" Lincoln said confused.

"That's a surprise. But I promise you, it is going to make the fire special." Lexa smiled at him, making air quotes for the last word.

"I am worried." he said seriously. "You scare me, Lexa Elwood. You're not gonna blow us all up, are you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we'll just have to wait and see, won't we? she matched his expression.

"Have I told you how awesome you are, lately?" Lincoln looked at his best friend from across the perfectly stacked wood. He, of course, knew that Lexa would never do something to undermine this night. He was certain that she knew how important it was to him, and neither one of them had to even speak the words.

"Probably. But it always bears repeating." Lexa said cheekily.

"Why are we doing this so early?" Anya grunted looking at Lincoln. The woman walked heavily towards them, carrying a cooler filled with beer.

"It's nine o' clock!" Lincoln half-whispered rolling his eyes. He took a look at Anya's sleepy face. "Did you seriously just wake up?"

"She hasn't woken up yet, that's the problem." said a voice behind the tall girl. Anya's sister appeared holding two bottles of gin. She shook them and winked at Lexa.

"Oh sweet, I love gin!" Lincoln exclaimed and moved swiftly towards Lily. She quickly hid the bottles behind her back.

"No, no! You, mister, will be drunk in love as Bey calls it. The gin is for us single folk, who will have to just be regular drunk." the young girl said and kissed the air when Lincoln sighed in disappointment. She was there when Lincoln had met Octavia. In fact, she was the one to introduce them. She knew Octavia's friend, Monty, and was having a drink with them one night, when Lincoln happened to be in the same bar. She could immediately tell that sparks were flying between her friend and the girl.

Much like her older sister, she was not one to hold her tongue. Probably the only thing they had in common though. Anya was a strong, strict and stoic figure while Lily was what Lexa affectionately described as "a sorority party girl with a heart of gold". Their outside looks also the opposite of one another and quite reflective of each girl's personality. Anya was tall, slim, with brown hair and serious eyes. Her face clearly defined by her predominant cheeckbones and clear-cut lines. Her sister was of average height, strawberry blonde, with curves. Her big lips and soft, hazel eyes framed in a heart-shaped face. They did nothing but fight but Lexa had never before met two people who loved each other so deeply. The 'would kill and did for' was an understatement when it came to those two.

Lexa walked over to her, grabbed one of the gin bottles and kissed it.

"This is why you are my favourite Forester sister."

"I heard that!" Anya warned and Lily answered back with an arrogant rise of the eyebrow, before breaking down in giggles.

"They're coming! That's them!" Lincoln said impatiently. "Are you going to start the fire, or...? They might miss us if it's not... because they're coming!"

"How do you even know..." Lexa started her question, staring at the four black figures walking in the distance, where Lincoln had been pointing towards. "...there's four of them?!" she changed it halfway through.

"Awww, he already recognizes her shadow!" Lily said, earning a laugh -or more like a puff of air- from her sister. Lincoln was running around like a frantic man, making sure everything was in place and lighting some candles he had placed in little holes in the sand, all around them.

"Jeez..." Anya breathed while laying on a towel, beer in hand.

"I know!" Lexa whispered in response. Lily hit her sister's arm.

"Shut your unromantic mouth, An." she warned. "You too!" she said pointing at Lexa and got up to help Lincoln. Lexa grabbed a box of matches from her backpack to light the fire. By the time she was done and got up, Octavia and her friends were much closer and Lincoln raised a hand to flag them down. Lexa took a deep breath to prepare for the night and then sat by Anya, after getting a beer for herself and a second one for her friend, at her non-verbal request.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Clarke was to meet her friends at the crossroad that leads to the beach at nine but she decided to get ready earlier and go for a walk around town. She liked walking by herself, with just her music. She knew every nook and cranny of this place, everyone in it too. But during summertime their little scenic town filled with new faces. Clarke loved walking amongst them, seeing their big eyes fill with awe looking at views and places she had been so used to seeing every day. Their holiday vibes and smiling faces renewed her love for the place she had grown up in, but also fueled her desire to get out, travel the world, be the one with the amazed eyes.

Even though it was not a very hot night, she was craving a nice, big cone with her favourite ice cream, cookie dough, so she headed to the ice cream shop. Apparently she was not the only one with a sweet craving since there was a big, old line of people there, even stretching outside the shop. Clarke decided to wait; she still had time to kill before meeting the others anyway. Perfect opportunity to partake in one of her guilty pleasures as well, people- watching.

After a while she caught herself staring at a girl who was ahead of her at the line for the shop. She had dark hair, cut in an asymetrical bob. Clarke really liked that hair cut and had wanted it since forever but she guessed it would never work with her curly hair. The girl was wearing white overalls with a fitted, black crop top. When she turned to the side to talk to her friend, Clarke noticed the delicate, stunning features of her face, as well as her toned abs. At one point, the girl tucked her hair behind her ear and Clarke saw a tattoo of two intertwined female gender symbols, on the right side of her neck, just behind her ear. At that exact moment the girl turned and looked at Clarke, who did not manage to avert her eyes quick enough. The girl's eyes travelled her from top to bottom and then she simply smiled and winked, turning her attention back to her friend straight after, in the most seamless way. Like nothing had happened. Clarke looked to the ground, her face turning into an impossible shade of red. She was the worst at flirting in general but when it came to girls especially, she felt like a fish out of the water. She blamed it on not having a lot of experience but really, she was just plain horrible at receiving, as well as clearly showing people, that kind of attention.

"Last time I saw you blush that hard was when I kissed you for the first time." a guy's voice startled her. She looked up, with stunned blue eyes which she rolled at the long-haired, young man.

"Shut up, Finn!"

"I'm just saying. Who's the lucky dude?" he looked around, searching. "I don't see anyone who looks like me." he said seriously.

Clarke smiled a bit. She was equal parts annoyed and jealous of Finn's self-esteem. He had a kind of confidence that she had only seen in one other person, Raven. She envied how they could pretty much charm the pants off anyone they wanted but was terrified at the mere thought of too much unwanted attention. Both Finn and Raven had to turn people down all the time, something they did skillfully and which rarely affected them. But Clarke was a different story. It had taken her weeks to "break up" with her "boyfriend" in second grade because she did not want to hurt his feelings by telling him she didn't really like him. Of course, when she finally found the courage to do it, he had just said "Okay." and started holding another girl's hand during the breaks the very next day. Little Clarke had been so confused.

"Don't flatter yourself!" she smiled at Finn.

"Ouch, woman." he dramatically put one hand over his chest as if his heart had been hurt. Clarke laughed and playfully punched him on the shoulder. "What are you up to?" he asked moving into the line with her.

"I'm getting ice cream." Clarke smiled sarcastically. She had dreaded this question. She had not called Finn to invite him to the bonfire as Octavia had suggested because she did not feel like dealing with him tonight. Finn could be a bit of a trouble-maker at times and she wanted to make a good first impression to Lincoln's friends. For Octavia that is.

"Very funny, princess. I mean later tonight."

"I'm going to a thing with O." she stated and tried to will people into moving faster, in hopes that Finn would drop the conversation if it was her turn at the counter. By some kind of divine intervention, just as Finn was about to talk, the girl she had been staring at earlier -who had now just gotten her ice cream and was leaving- approached them and gave Clarke a big smile.

"Hi! I'm Angel." she said, acknowledging Finn with a nod of the head but clearly focusing on Clarke.

"Yes. You. Are!" said Finn in his deep, flirty voice. He immediately run his hand through his hair, pushing them back and out of his face, flexing a little at the same time. It was his signature move with the ladies. Clarke shook her head at his remark and stretched her arm out for a handshake. She regreted the idea when she realized that her palms were clamy and she was shaking a bit from nervousness, but before she could pull her arm back Angel took her hand.

"I'm Clarke." she said shyly. "This tool is Finn." she pointed a thumb at her friend and relaxed a bit when she got a loud, hearty laugh from the girl.

"Heeey..." Finn protested but neither one of the girls was paying much attention to him.

"Hi, Clarke." Angel looked into her eyes and shook her hand.

"Hi!" Clarke smiled, holding her hand a bit too long, mumbling an apology when she realized and let go.

"Oh, it's quite alright!" Angel giggled. "But I should probably not hold the line up. People want their ice cream.". She leaned closer to Clarke. "And they're looking sugar-deprived pissed!" Clarke smiled to the ground and blushed a little at the closeness.

"This is my number." the girl said, handing Clarke a napkin with the shop's logo and a phone number written in red pen. "Text me?"

"Yea, sure!" Clarke said trying to play it cool.

"See you soon." Angel winked at her. "Bye, Finn!" she called out before exciting the shop. Clarke stared at her until she was out of sight and then looked at the paper with a stupid smile on her face. Finn's hand on her shoulder scared her and she jumped a little while turning to face her friend who was holding a cone of ice cream.

"So, that's who you were blushing at!" he mused at her. "It's cookie dough." he said and gave her the ice cream he was holding.

"Thank you!" Clarke took it, avoiding Finn's eyes. She was feelings embarassed that he was there for that whole scene. They left the shop and walked down the street a bit together. Clarke was eating her ice cream in silence.

"This is me." Finn said when they reached his place of work.

"You're working tonight?"

"Yea! Picking up some extra shifts. Need the money." he shrugged his shoulders. "Anyway, have fun at the bonfire." he winked at her.

"You knew about that, huh?" she looked at him apologetically and Finn nodded his head.

"I know everything, my dear." he faked a british accent.

"You do indeed, good sir!" Clarke laughed and matched his accent, playing along. They gave each other a quick hug and she started to leave.

"Oh! By the way..." Finn's voice stopped her. He walked over to her. "Angel is like a perfect ten! High-five, bro... Sis!" he said and lifted an open palm.

"You're such a goofball!" Clarke smiled and high-fived him.

She walked to where she was meeting the others and rested against a wall, finishing her ice cream. When she was done, she took the napkin with Angel's number out of her pocket and debated whether she should text her now. Or at all. Should she invite her to the bonfire? No, this was Octavia's night. Besides, did she really want her around Raven? She was no match to her friend's flirting abilities. Wait, what if Raven had already slept with her? If Angel is new or a visitor, she probably hasn't yet but what if? Clarke's mind was racing.

"What the hell am I doing?" she whispered to herself. Octavia was right, she did tend to overthink everything. Maybe she should just go with the flow, have some fun. She heard a distant laugh and recognized it as Octavia's. She looked up to see her and Raven walk towards her. Of course tonight is the one night Octavia is actually on time. A second later, Clarke saw Monty come from the opposite direction, waving an arm at her. She carefully put the napkin back in her pocket, patting it a couple of times as if to make sure it was safe. She exhaled slowly. She was glad to have a bit of a distraction tonight, she could go crazy over this again tomorrow.

Clarke exchanged quick greetings with her friends, with Octavia being as excited as a kid on Christmas morning, and they made their way to the beach.

"That's probably them!" Octavia said cheerfully when she saw some shadows around a pile of wood, only to be proven right a second later when they lit the fire and someone raised their arm to greet them.

"Here we go..." whispered Raven and Octavia picked up her pace with the others following.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Lexa stared at the fire as the effect of the colour-changing packets she had throw in earlier was dying down. It was a huge hit with the guests who had never before seen such beautiful, vibrantly coloured flames. It had even gotten a "that's pretty cool" from Anya, which is basically the biggest compliment anything can get from her. She thought back to when she ordered a twenty-pack of those things online, more than two years ago. She was with Costia then and she had been looking for ways to make a bonfire more special to impress her. Much like Lincoln wanted tonight. She was successfull both times.

She had almost forgotten she had those packets in her possession, she had not used them again after that one beautiful night with Costia. Lexa shook the memories out of her mind. Summertime always brought back the lovely times she had with her first love, but even though it had been years, it was still more painful than sweet to remember.

She gazed around; Octavia was blissfully lying in Lincoln's arms and they were chatting and laughing, Lily was having what seemed like a serious conversation with Monty, Raven and Clarke were sitting by each other talking and herself and Anya were mostly just drinking in silence. It had been like that for about an hour. When they got the first introductions out of the way, those who had not known each other before tonight kept to their own side, so to speak. Lexa was a-okay with that.

She got up to feed some more wood into the fire. She looked at the flames and smiled at the familiar heat that brushed against her face when she got close. She carefully picked on the burning wood with a stick to position it before putting a couple more logs in. She took her time, until she was satisfied and then stepped back to take a look at it, like she did every single time. The beauty of a bonfire always amazed her and it was even more awesome when she was the one to create it. When she was done she went to the cooler to grab a beer for herself and looked over at Anya to see if she wanted one as well, only to see that Raven was just sitting down where she had been, next to her friend. She put the second beer back and glanced over to the, now only, free space next to Clarke. With a sigh she opened her beer and headed that way.

"This seat taken?" asked Raven. Anya was lying on her back, looking up at the night sky.

"Yea, kinda." she replied without getting up.

"I bring booze!" Raven said and took a flask out of her pocket, a move that grabbed the other girl's attention enough to lift her head up to take a look. Raven shook the flask that sounded more than half empty, to which Anya raised an eyebrow.

"I'll trade you the rest of this for the seat." smiled Raven and Anya motioned her to sit. As soon as she did, Anya reached her arm out, making a grabbing motion with her fingers and Raven handed her the flask. She took the cap off and sniffed.

"Whiskey?"

"Scotch to be exact."

"Good girl." Anya took a big gulp of the drink and passed it to Raven.

"The deal was you can have all of it. And I honour my deals."

"A great quality to have." Anya looked at the younger girl. "But booze is to share." she handed her the flask. Raven smiled and threw her head back, finishing the drink.

"Do my seat privileges expire with the end of the alcohol?"

"I don't recall such conditions. Besides, I still have some beer left." she offered her beer to Raven who quoted her "booze is to share" back to her, before taking a sip. Both of the girls fell on their back almost at the same time and looked up.

"How cool would it be to walk amongst all of those stars?" Raven said after a few minutes of silence.

"Technically you wouldn't walk. You'd float." Anya corrected her.

"Even cooler."

"I don't know. I like to feel the ground beneath my feet, personally."

"Sometimes it's not too bad down here. Sometimes."

Raven kept her eyes on the thousands of tiny, little stars blinking at her from the blackness of the night sky. When she was younger her parents would spend hours yelling and fighting with each other. They never shouted at her. They never paid much of any attention to her, good or bad. She would sneak out and climb to the roof of the house. She had borrowed a book about the constalletions from her school's library and she would spend many nights studying the stars. By the time she reached high school, she had turned into the stereotypical trouble- child of divorced parents, but knew everything there was to know about the sky. A couple of her teachers tried to set her straight and put her on an academic path. They kept on telling her that if she put her big brains to use she could study astronomy at the best university. Some even went as far as saying she could have been accepted into a space program, had she set her mind to it. She was both physically and mentally capable. But back then Raven could not stay out of trouble for much more than a full day and things like that did not fly at the big leagues.

She had since regretted most of her choices when it came to education but that was something she would not admit out loud very often, if ever. She had subsequently taught herself how to fix mechanical stuff, starting with small household appliances and moving to bikes and cars. Her uncle had gotten her a job at the local auto shop and she had thrown herself to work, keeping busy and tiring herself down, managing to change her ways and keep out of trouble. The last few years, her only guilty pleasure had been girls. Lots of them. She didn't care about love, she didn't really believe in it. But she did believe in lust and physical pleasures.

Anya turned around to look at Raven. The girl kept her face towards the sky and only moved her eyes to look at Anya. None of them spoke but Raven let out a little sigh. She didn't mean to, but something about Anya's eyes looking straight into hers felt safe almost, and the puff of air she had been holding in for what felt like years just escaped her. Anya nodded her head and stood up. She walked over and poured two gin and soda drinks for herself and Raven. She handed the drink to the girl and sat beside her. A bit closer than before.

"To sometimes!" she proposed a toast.

"To right now!" Raven replied and Anya smiled at her for the first time since they had met. A beautiful smile, thought Raven. Rare things always are.

The two girls lied once again on their backs, next to each other, and Raven started teaching Anya the names of the different constalletions. Anya was telling her about some stories she had read, of lovers whom jealous gods or witches turned into stars that shine at different times so that they may never see each other again, when the sound of a guitar sweetly broke the stillness of the air around them.

Suddenly, everyone stopped their conversations and turned to look at Clarke. She had taken her guitar out and was playing an abstract melody, unaware of the attention. Her eyes were fixed on the flames of the fire, her fingers delicately moving over the strings, her body swaying from side to side. It was only when she heard a soft sound coming from her left, that she broke her focus and turned to look at Lexa, who was quietly harmonizing along to the melody. The fact that she had started humming probably took Lexa herself by surprise more than anyone else, but when her eyes met Clarke's neither one of them stopped. It felt like the world around them fell away and for a few moments nothing mattered except the beautiful sound they were making together. When Lexa went silent, Clarke slowed down the rythm and after a few seconds she strummed a closing chord.

"That was pretty awesome." she said with a low voice but when she turned to smile at Lexa, the other girl was thoughtfully looking to the ground and didn't turn to face her.

"You play really well." Lexa simply said while getting up and Clarke watched her walk away.


	6. Chapter 6

"You okay?" Lincoln walked over to Lexa, who was standing knee-deep in the water, arms crossed over her chest, staring at the dark water stretching in front of her.

"I don't know." she replied after a while.

"What happened?" Lincoln stood next to her in the water.

"I don't know." she repeated with a sigh.

"Fair enough." he simply said, put his hands in his pockets and stood there, next to his friend, in silence.

"Octavia seems really nice." Lexa finally said after a few minutes.

"Thank you!" Lincoln replied and then turned to face her. "Clarke seems really nice too." he said and Lexa slowly nodded her head.

"I can't go through this again, Lincoln." she turned and looked at him.

"It's not gonna be the same, Lex."

"Oftentimes it is. You know, with us."

"You did not just play the gay card!" Lincoln raised an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean!"

"Yes, but don't you think stuff like that can happen to anybody?"

"I guess..."

"Okay, so you reckon I should never get another girlfriend, in case she too ends up in a car accident then?"

"You did not just play the dead girlfriend card!" Lexa looked at him in surprise.

"Check mate!" Lincoln said loudly and made a little winner motion with his hand.

"That's chess, idiot. Not cards." Lexa laughed and slapped his hand. Lincoln smiled at her.

"I'm just saying, not all relationships end tragically, you know? I mean, hopefully! For all of our sakes!"

"Yea." Lexa looked back towards the sea. "I'm really proud of you for trying."

"Your turn." Lincoln said and patted Lexa's back softly before heading back to the others.

"What the heck happened? Did I do something wrong?" Clarke asked Octavia when the younger girl sat next to her after Lincoln left to talk to Lexa.

"Not sure what went down. But I don't think you did something."

"So, why'd ya think that Anya chick is looking at me like she wants to play patty cake with my face?" Clarke leaned closer and whispered. "Did Lincoln say anything?"

"He did not. But did you see the way he kissed my cheek before getting up?"

"O., could you talk seriously for like half a second?" Clarke said, bothered.

"Sorry!" Octavia gave her a little hug. "Look, Lincoln did not mention anything, but we all got our issues, right? I'm sure Lexa has hers."

"Yes, but..."

"No buts!" interrupted Octavia. "Unless it is Lincoln's butt. Because that's one nice butt." she continued, grabbing the air with her hands. Clarke smiled.

"No hope!" she shook her head.

"None whatsoever." said Raven, walking behind them. "We talking about Octavia, right?" she tightly hugged the girl who tried to break free but was unsuccessful.

"Let. Go." Octavia hissed between her teeth when she saw Lincoln coming back towards them.

"You afraid hubby's gonna get jealous?" Raven teased.

"No! But your girlfriend might." Octavia shot back and dusted herself off when the other girl let go of her.

"I swear, you two turn into 10-year-old boys every time you get together." Clarke stood between them. "Who am I going to discuss my adult issues with?"

"Lexa!" chanted both of the girls, not too loudly, and then looked at each other and laughed.

"I'm so done!" Clarke said when her friends high-fived each other. She turned to look towards the sea. In the distance, she saw Lexa's figure, standing by the water. She did want to discuss and talk with her but she didn't know how. She wanted to know why there was such sadness in her eyes. Clarke thought back to the moment when she had looked into Lexa's beautiful green eyes, for only a second before Lexa looked to the ground, while they were playing music. She had never before seen such an earthly green colour in someone's eyes. But there was something deaming their light, like a dark mist falling over a forest, not allowing the sunlight through. Clarke wished she knew how to tell her, that a girl like her should never look down.

As if she felt Clarke's stare, Lexa turned to look towards the fire and then slowly made her way back to them. She took a quick look at the different formation of the group; Lincoln had joined Octavia, Raven and Clarke who were standing by the pile of firewood and Anya had sat by Lily and Monty after getting a drink. Lexa turned her attention to the fire. She reckoned it didn't need any more wood for the next ten, maybe fifteen, minutes but she headed towards the pile anyway. She picked up a smaller log and on second thought, put it back down. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Could you help me with this?" she asked Clarke, who was standing there almost holding her breath since Lexa came close, and pointed at the biggest log of the lot.

"Of course!" Clarke replied and they carried the log to the fire. Lincoln followed them with his eyes and smiled softly. He knew how capable to carry that all by herself Lexa actually was, he had seen her carry logs twice as big. She was trying, he thought to himself.

"I don't really know how to do this. Do we just drop it in?" Clarke said, a little anxiously. "I don't want to ruin it."

"Don't worry. Just leave it here and i'll handle it!" Lexa replied. "Thank you for your help." she said seriously once they put the log down by the fire. She then grabbed it, lifted it and carefully positioned it at just the right angle for it to burn slowly.

"Doesn't seen like you really needed it!" Clarke said and then almost immediately regretted the forwardness of her statement. Lexa stayed silent for a while. When she finished handling the fire, she sat by it and looked up at Clarke.

"Thanks anyway." she smiled. Clarke smiled back to her and Lexa felt as if her heart skipped a beat. A feeling she had not felt in so long. She looked at the flames, her stomach suddenly feeling like it had turned upside down. She was scared and vulnerable, two feelings she had vowed to never allow herself to feel again. Love made her weak and she wondered whether it was really all worth it. That is not the way she imagined it should be. Maybe Lincoln was wrong. Maybe it is not the same for everyone. And it didn't have to be a question of gay or straight but rather of people. Maybe love was not for her, maybe to be her meant to be alone. She used to think that being with Costia made her better but really, by the end of it all, she had turned to someone she could barely recognize. Ever since, she felt like she had found the balance between who she used to be before and after Costia. Clarke , in a matter of a few minutes, had made her question everything all over again. She just wanted some peace of mind.

"You look like you need this." a voice brought Lexa back. She looked up to a plastic red cup that Lily was holding out to her. Her eyes shot to where Clarke had been standing moments ago but she was no longer there. She looked back at Lily and took the cup.

"This better be straight gin." she said.

"You know I know you!" Lily sat next to her. "Psychology is NOT one of my two majors, but you look kinda dark. And I'm not talking 'i was born a downer' Anya dark." she said and raised her cup saluting her sister from a distance, only to get an eyeroll as a reply. "Case in point." she whispered and Lexa smiled.

"I'm just... I'm trying to try, you know? But it's hard. And I don't know if I even should..." Lexa mumbled. "Does that make sense?"

"Zero!" replied Lily. "But there was a "trying" somewhere in there and trying is always better than not trying."

"Maybe not always."

"Absolutely always! And that was aliteration. Since English IS one of my two majors." Lily said and laughed when Lexa elbowed her and called her a show-off.

A sudden movement caught their attention. Raven, who had sat back next to Anya, shot off the ground and with an "oh, you are so on!" she started removing her tee and pants. When she had stripped down to her underwear she headed to the shore and with a soft motion removed those as well, before running into the water. Anya followed right behind, doing the exact same thing and before anyone had time to process what was happening, Lily got up and broke the silence.

"Skinny dipping!" she yelled and started removing her clothes, with Lincoln, Octavia and Monty doing the same after exchanging some looks with one another. When they got in the water, Lexa and Clarke were the only ones left by the fire. Clarke stared at Lexa, who after a second looked away from her. Next thing she knew, Clarke got up and headed her way. Just before reaching her, she stopped and took her shirt off, looking at Lexa sideways after doing so. Without saying a word she joined the others in the water, in her underwear.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Clarke was the last to go into the sea, so she tried to swim towards what she recognized as Lily's voice, since it was too dark to actually see where everyone was. She hoped she wouldn't bump into any aquatic make-out sessions while she was at it. She knew Lincoln -and ergo Octavia- were somewhere on her left because Lincoln had called out at Lexa to join them. 

"I'm good. Someone needs to keep the fire going for you guys anyway." was her reply. Clarke kept on swimming until she caught sight of some movement, somewhere ahead of her. She could hear it was Lily and Monty and breathed out a sigh of relief before joining them.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" Lily said with a broad smile when Clarke was close enough to hear her.

"It really is. A bit scary too though."

"Yea... That..." Monty agreed and looked worryingly around him at the dark water, growing more and more uneasy by the second.

"Aw, nothing to worry about guys." Lily let out a chuckle. "We've done this a gazillion times and we still got all our limbs."

"Raven's got a bit of a limp!" Monty said seriously, his face twisted with worry. He didn't think he would be so scared of the water at night but he was. At that moment, in his mind, everything that was wrong in the world had to do with whatever horrible things were hiding in the dark water just underneath their feet and all around them. He started to panic.

"That was a car accident, not sharks." Lily started laughing but it was cut short when she looked at Monty. All the color had drained from his face and he stood stiff, breathing heavily.

"What...? Are you okay? Is he okay?" she swam towards Monty and Clarke who was already by his side.

"He's having a panic attack. He'll be fine. I got him." Clarke said and linked her arm to Monty's.

"Lets go outside. Get some warmth by the fire, huh Mont?" Clarke lead him towards the shore. "Isn't that a good idea?"

Monty was not speaking, he was only trembling, tears streaming down his face. When they got out of the water his kneed could not hold him and Clarke struggled to keep him upright. In a matter of seconds, Lexa had reached them, she covered Monty with a big beach towel and took hold of him from the other side.

"It's a bit scary, isn't it?" Lexa said, stroking Monty's arm affectionately while they sat him next to the fire. "It took me two summers to gather up the courage to join the others for a night swim.". Lexa threw her jacket over his shoulders. "I use the keeping up of the fire as an excuse when I'm too frightened to go in." she said smiling while pouring some orange juice they had gotten for the drinks into a plastic cup. "But don't tell anyone." she winked and held out the cup for Monty. He was still shaking but his lips trembled into what looked like a faint half-smile and he took the cup. She then filled up two plastic shot cups and carried them along with a towel to Clarke, who had just been standing with tense shoulders near Monty, watching over Lexa's moves. She took the towel from Lexa and wrapped into around her body, keeping her eyes on Monty's back.

"Here! Something a bit stronger than OJ." Lexa held out the shot of whiskey.

"I'm fine." Clarke replied, not moving.

"Tell that to your hands." Lexa said and Clarke noticed for the first time that she was shaking slightly. She crossed her arms over her chest. "He's fine." Lexa tried to reassure her.

"I know that!" Clarke snapped at her. She had been present in a couple of Monty's panic attacks in the past but she could not get used to them. It scared her to no end to see her friend like that, and quite honestly she just had no idea what she could do to help him. She tried to stay calm, so as not to add to his stress, but having Lexa there -Lexa who was actually calm and on top of the situation- made her feel like she was going to fall apart. As if she could read her thoughts, Lexa reached out and placed a warm hand on Clarke's crossed arms.

"It's alright." she looked into Clarke's eyes. They glistened a blurry blue behind worried tears that were caught there, refusing to fall. "Drink this. It will help some." Lexa smiled offering her the shot again.

Clarke took it this time and shot it back. She felts its heat travel to her stomach and the burn sent a shiver down her spine. Lexa drank her own and watched as the stubborn tears trickled down Clarke's cheeks. Clarke's hand immediately shot up to wipe them away but Lexa's had gotten there first. She traced one finger from where the tear had dropped from Clarke's face near her chin, all the way up to the eye from which it had escaped. She then cupped Clarke's face with her hand and run her thumb under her eye, catching a second tear. Clarke let out a deep breath slowly and finally let her shoulders relax. Lexa's hand left her face and with some hesitation, traveled lightly from Clarke's shoulder down her arm.

"Told you it would help."

"Yea." Clarke smiled and sniffled a little, wiping her nose and her other cheek. "But this is helping a lot more." she continued, taking Lexa's hand that had reached hers and giving it a squeeze. She felt her skin tingling where Lexa had touched her, like something had come alive inside of it and was trying to break free. Lexa nodded and Clarke noticed the worry-carved line on her forehead disappear. "Thank you, Lexa."

"I second that." Monty said lightly, looking to the ground. Both girls turned to him. Some of the color had returned to his face and his breathing had almost steadied. "I'm real sorry..." he looked apologetically from one girl to the other and back.

"Don't mention it." Lexa smiled and headed his way. She placed a comforting hand on Monty's shoulder. "No need to apologize for something you have no control over." she gave him a couple of soft pats on the back and took the empty cup from his hands. "Would you like a beer?"

"No, thanks. I think I will be heading home." Monty said and carefully got to his feet and looked around, eyes searching for some sign of his clothes.

"I'll walk with you home." Clarke came up behind him and handed him his clothes with a smile.

"No, no! Please, Clarke, I don't want to ruin your night more than I already have." he too the clothes and started getting dressed, hands still shaking a little bit.

"You haven't ruined anything." she simply stated very matter-of-factly and started getting into her own clothes. "Besides, something happened earlier today and I kinda need your input on it.". Before she put on her shirt, she reached into her pocket and traced the napkin with her fingers. She noticed she had gotten it a bit wet since her underwear did not have enough time to dry. She hoped the number wouldn't get all smudged up.

"Is this an attempt to get me alone, Clarke Griffin? Cause that was a lame excuse. Either way, I must respectfully decline. You're not my type." Monty managed a broad smile.

"I'm painfully aware. Miller is a lucky guy."

"I'm the lucky one!"

"Right. Do you think it can rub off on me some?" Clarke said and started rubbing on Monty's arm and back. He let out a little laugh and took Clarke's hand in his.

"Thank you for this, Lexa. Would you tell the others I'm sor..."

"Don't!" Lexa warned, interrupting him.

"... that I'll see them soon." Monty smiled.

"Will do. Goodnight." she said and her eyes searched Clarke's face. She hoped she would say that she would come back after dropping Monty off. In fact, she just hoped she would say anything that would even remotely imply that she wanted to see her again.

"Goodnight." Clarke smiled simply and headed off with Monty. Before they reached the road, Clarke took one last look behind, over her shoulder. Lexa was carrying another log to the fire, the orange light of the flames sliding over her toned arms and the gentle curves of her face, playing chase with the shadows with each of her graceful and calculated motions. She smiled a little to herself; a dreamy smile. But she quickly turned her attention back to Monty who had gone into a long 'I miss my boyfriend' monologue.

Monty and Miller had been together three years but every time they looked at each other, it seemed as though it was all brand new. They could melt the heart of the most unromantic Grinch of a person, straight to the core. You just couldn't be sarcastic or doubt true love around those two. They proved the existence of soul-mates daily. Even Raven had once said that she would change her ways if she ever found the "Monty to her Miller", quickly followed by "but I probably never will, so one night stands for the WIN!". Clarke always found it remarkable that they were lucky enough to find each other and it so perfectly. She could not even imagine how something like that could be, or what it would feel like. To meet a person and just know that you belong with them; that they are the one you are supposed to be with for the rest of your life. Wasn't that an awful long time anyway? People changed by the day. What if who you one belonged with turns into someone you can't stand down the road? She had decided true love, the fairy tale kind, was only for a lucky few.

"You wouldn't recognize true love if it slapped you straight across the face." Octavia had weighed in on the matter one night, only half joking. "And you..." she had turned to Raven. "You would probably just slap her right back!" she had laughed and run to the bathroom to hide from Raven who had wanted to show her just how strong her slap could be and how she would kick true love's ass. Love shouldn't be a slap on the face, Clarke thought. Love should be a strong arm to help you carry the load. A warm hand to ease the pain. A gentle finger to wipe away tears you didn't know were there. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"How was he?" Lexa heard a voice behind her while she was fixing up the fire. She turned around to look at Lily's pale face, eyes big with worry flying from her to the two fading shadows that were walking away in the distance.

"He's alright. Come get warm." she motioned her closer to the fire. "He's going home, Clarke's with him."

"Man, his eyes went huge with terror, like he was staring straight at Lord Voldemort himself. Pale as sheet too. It freaked me out." Lily stood next to Lexa, stretching her hands out to the fire. "I didn't come out before cause I didn't want to overcrowd him. Thought he needed some space..."

"Good thinking. Even though psychology is not one of your countless majors." Lexa winked and rubbed Lily's back reassuringly.

"I only got two majors as of yet, but maybe I should consider psychology." Lily smiled. "And aren't you cool as a cucumber? You come across that kinda stuff often?"

"Well, lets just say this wasn't my first rodeo and leave it at that." Lexa replied and started gathering some dry beach towels and a few candle from around the fire.

"Lexa Elwood: A mystery wrapped in a riddle." Lily said and turned around to warm her back. She watched Lexa as she carried and placed the towels a few feet from the water, making a circle around them with the candles.

"To whom it may concern..." Lexa yelled towards the sea, "...this is where you may get a towel to cover yourselves up. Also known as, the dignity circle. You're welcome!"

"What's dignity?" she heard Raven yell from a distance, followed by a loud chuckle which she assumed to have been Anya's.

"Nothing you would know, Reyes!" Octavia yelled back, not missing a beat, from somewhere on the left. Lexa smiled and shook her head. She walked to the cooler, mixed a couple of drinks and sat next to Lily, who had gotten dressed, offering her one. It wasn't until they had finished their drinks that Lincoln and Octavia joined them outside. They had spent quite some time in the water and they were both shaking slightly from the cold. But judging by the love-struck smiles of their faces, they might as well had been sitting in the sunshine, in a tropical island, drinking margaritas, just the two of them. They went closer to the fire to dry up and Lexa watched them look at each other, like the rest of the world didn't really exist outside of that moment between them. They smiled, blissfully unaware of anything and everything else.

Lexa felt her stomach jump with what she recognized as jealousy and bitterness. She immediately felt horrible about it. She should be happy for Lincoln. She was happy for him. If anyone deserved to go all gooey with love and have the silly look on their face to match, it was him. He was an amazing individual but he always thrived around other people. He was always better as part of something. But, of course, it had to be something special. Something that would elevate him as a separate being as well. It was a mystery to Lexa who was the polar opposite, a lone wolf, but she felt glad to be getting that part of her friend back. It was good to see him rise to his best possible self once more, after dealing with a horrible loss and everything that comes after that.

Lincoln had met Rebecca in high school. They had gotten together around the same time Lexa had started seeing Costia. Of course they had the privilege to be able to be a lot more open and public about their relationship, but they always made sure they spent time with the girls, to make them feel that they at least had two people in their corner, who valued them both individually and as a couple. They would have movie nights and double dinner dates at Lincoln's, where Rebecca would cook amazing Costa Rican or Indonesian meals for them. She was quite literally the only person Lexa knew, of their age, that could cook something more than fried eggs and plain white pasta. Costia who was about as challenged at cooking as Lexa was, had joked that she should probably marry Bex instead, if she didn't want pasta trees to grow in her stomach. Of course it would be a sham marriage, she had explained and Lexa would be her side chick, enjoying all the good food as well. Lexa had argued that they could just adopt Rebecca. A full-grown adult, whom somebody else had raised as an amazing human -so not chance of them screwing that up-, they also would not have to deal with stinky diapers and potty training. And the best part, Lexa had concluded, was that they would get to be Lincoln's mothers-in-law and make his life difficult just for the fun of it. They had all laughed at Lincoln's passionate objections to both plans and then all agreed to meet halfway, when Rebecca had offered, "Guys! We can always, you know, just remain friends and we will be having you over for dinner whenever you'd like. Or whenever you feel those pasta trees growing in.". Lincoln had smiled and wholeheartedly agreed to the proposition, looking proudly at his girlfriend. She had walked over to give him a taste of the sauce she was making and had placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, before going back to the kitchen saying, "You don't have to marry me or adopt me to keep me close, girls. I'm not going anywhere!".

It was early on a cold Halloween morning when some random guy ignored a Stop sign and hammered his semi-truck on the passenger side of Rebecca's car. She had taken up a part-time job as a cook at a local Bed and Breakfast and was heading to work at the time. She had always been a morning person and loved waking up early, even though at the time she had to get up for work there was barely even any light outside. She loved the chill of the morning dew, it made her feel refreshed and wide awake. She would often say that there was something magical about the sunrise, something that made it even more beautiful and special than the sunset, which people had for some reason romanticized so much. And she liked starting her day when most people were still asleep. Driving along quiet, empty streets; long stretches or mazes of asphalt all to herself. But not that morning. That morning somebody's carelessness had claimed her streets and her life.

She was rushed to the hospital with severe blunt-force trauma to the head, among a plethora of other injuries. She was kept in a medically induced coma for about a week, until the swelling in her brain would subside enough for the doctors to assess the damage. Lincoln had been beside her through all of it, basically making camp next to her hospital bed, never leaving her side. He would refuse to give up hope. He would talk to her every day, telling her to keep on fighting through it, waiting for her to wake up. He had to keep on believing that she would indeed wake up because she could not even fathom the alternative. Life without Rebecca stretched to the realms of the unimaginable. They had made so many plans together. Every time he thought of his future, she was there, right beside him. All those long nights in the hospital, he tried to picture a future without Bex, but he would come up blank every time. He did not even know who he was or who he could be without her guidance. All he could manage to see of that future was the black void of Rebecca's absence. So he kept on hoping.

When doctors started lightening up the coma to see if she would come out, Rebecca suffered a stroke and was declared brain-dead soon thereafter. Lexa had been there for Lincoln, though there was little she could do or say to make him feel even the tiniest bit better, on the worst day of his life. And it was going to be a long, dark, twisted way before he would somewhat recover from the loss. But Lexa was there, every single time. Even when he would push her, along with everyone else, away. She was there. And down the road, that's what made all the difference. Slowly, step by excruciating step, the black void would get cut into smaller, more manageable pieces. In time, it would be molded into something else; something less terrifying, less consuming, less powerful. It would always be there, but maybe it could turn into something that would not reek of finality.

It was hard for someone who hadn't seen Lincoln at his absolute lowest, to appreciate that genuine smile on his face; how much it meant, how much he had fought within himself to get it back. Lexa looked at Octavia, standing next to Lincoln, her eyes gleaming with the reflection of the flames. She was grateful for her. She didn't know what it was exactly, that brought people together like that, chemistry maybe? And she did not know what journey Octavia had been on up until this point, but she was glad her path crossed Lincoln's. And as fate would have it, she thought, because of them, her path stumbled upon Clarke's and Anya's met with Raven's. It was strange how life worked. How the most horrible thing to happen to a person could set them on a course that they would never had been in, lead them to meet people they would never had met. And it's not only that person's life that is affected by that change in course, but the lives of those around them as well. And with a ripple effect, those changes might end up being monumental for everyone involved.


End file.
